Washington, May 8 (ANI): St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital investigators in their new study have shown how ‘dancing’ hair cells contribute to amplifying sounds in the inner ear, a finding that could explain how hearing loss can result from genetic mutation or overdose of drugs

The researchers have found that an electrically powered amplification mechanism in the cochlea of the ear is critical to the acute hearing of humans and other mammals.

The findings will enable better understanding of how hearing loss can result from malfunction of this amplification machinery due to genetic mutation or overdose of drugs such as aspirin.